Thursday, August 17, 2017

Sally 4th: Free Rules Supplement for WW2 South Pacific - This week sees the release of the new Combat Patrol supplement for gaming platoon level engagements set in the Second World War Pacific Theatre of Operations.

Fighting in the South Pacific during World War II was unique compared to other theatres, even other parts of the Pacific. This supplement includes rules that represent the unique nature of Japanese morale, Banzai! charges, suicide anti-tank attacks, night infiltration, vehicle-mounted flame throwers, and other rules. The Banzai! charge rules strike a good balance between effectiveness without overpowering the charge and making the Japanese invincible.

Of these new rules, the most significant are those for Japanese morale. The basic morale rules work very well for other theatres, including China, Burma, and India. In Combat Patrol™ morale failure is represented more as a loss of cohesion than a sudden, unexpected retreat. As units take morale checks, the unit gradually dissolves or stops responding to commands. Japanese morale failure in the South Pacific seems to have been more unit oriented than individual; the unit leader will decide to retreat, take cover, or assault the enemy in response to fire rather than individuals melting into the jungle. The new morale results reflect this. Japanese Action Deck RRP £6.50

In Combat Patrol™: World War II, cards in an Action Deck are used by players to resolve shooting, determine movement distance, conduct hand-to-hand combat, and check morale. This eliminates the need for charts and tables. Each player has an Action Deck that he uses to resolve these actions. New decks are now available for gamers using a Japanese army. The parts of the cards that deal with small arms fire, melee, HE, movement and cover saves are the same as all of the other Combat Patrol decks, but the Morale section is unique to reflect the rules for Japanese morale. The new cards are optional as existing cards can be used to cross reference the Japanese morale rules in the supplement, but having the specific cards makes morale tests a lot easier.

Sally 4th has released two new accessories for Combat Patrol players this week.

Combat Patrol Card Dispenser £10 RRP – Easy to assemble MDF kit to make a handy and attractive card dispenser in the shape of a bridge to keep your action deck and discards tidy on the gaming table and easy to move around with you to where the action is. Combat Patrol Card, Token and Dice Storage £15 RRP – Easy to assemble MDF kit styled on the vintage card index, and including drawer with dividers to hold dice and counters and a set of index card dividers. The set includes five dividers, four marked as Action and one as Activation. As usual the supplement is available as a free to download PDF file, the new cards and the Combat Patrol card dispenser and card and token box are available to purchase from Sally 4th website http://wargamesbuildings.co.uk/Combat-Patrol and we will have them with us at shows including ‘The Other Partizan’ on Sunday 20th August.

Mythic Games: Mythic Games, creators and co-publishers with Monolith of the Mythic Battles: Pantheon Board Game, announce today the studio’s return to Gen Con (August 17 – 20, Indianapolis) to debut their latest creation, the Time of Legends: Joan of Arc board game. Gen Con attendees will be the first in North America to play Joan of Arc, as well as play the forthcoming Mythic Battles: Pantheon Board Game from last year’s multi-million dollar Kickstarter.

The Time of Legends: Joan of Arc board game centers on Joan of Arc’s heroic tales during the 100 Years War, a medieval universe of war, conspiracy and betrayal, where myths mix with reality. Throughout the game, the beliefs of the era become real, where witches, werewolves, dragons, devils, angels and other mythical creatures mingle with knights, inquisitors and peasants in a game environment that spans roleplaying in a small village to a mass battle involving dozens of knights, warriors and terrain.

“We’ve created a truly unique miniatures board game experience by mixing unusually small miniatures with spectacular 3D terrain and what we think is the biggest miniature to take over the tabletop – our incredible dragon with its massive 21-inch wing span,” says Leonidas Vesperini, Mythic Games’ project manager. “Time of Legends: Joan of Arc brings players to a time of epic battles and fantastic myths, where history meets magic, centered on the original wonder woman. We can’t wait to demo the game at Gen Con 50.”

Time of Legends: Joan of Arc is designed to play through in less than an hour with an unusual small scale of 15mm plastic figures with unprecedented detail and definition. This size allows for spectacular scale effects with massive armies for each player, 3D environmental pieces such as houses, church, bridges, trees and castles, and gigantic creatures. While supplies last, attendees who demo Joan of Arc in the Mythic Games booth (#3063) will receive a free collectible button. Time of Legends: Joan of Arc launches on Kickstarter October 10, 2017.

Alternative Armies: Now released HOT113 Skeletal Artillery! Give your 15mm scale Undead some long range fire power and check out the other packs we have for the Undead as well as pre-made armies for HOTT 2nd edition. Treat yourself with 15% off this new pack too. Thanks for reading. GBS

Steamforged Games: Steamforged Games is thrilled to announce an exciting new partnership with Capcom to bring the iconic Resident Evil 2 video game to the board gamers of the world. Building on the success of previous titles including “Guild Ball” and “Dark Souls: The Board Game”, Steamforged Games will be launching this latest game, “Resident Evil™ 2: The Board Game” via Kickstarter in late Autumn 2017.

Steamforged is proud of its proven capability to bring video game IP to life as board games and plans to fully realise the core game experience of the much loved Resident Evil 2 world. “It’s a privilege and an honour to be trusted to bring such an important video game to life as a board game,” said Mat Hart, Creative Director and Co-founder of Steamforged Games. “Resident Evil 2 helped to define its own genre of games and has created a lasting legacy in video game history. Steamforged has several Resident Evil super fans on the team and so we have a deep understanding of what makes RE such a compelling game experience; one that still has legions of fans around the world still playing the game nearly two decades after its release. We’re determined to surprise and delight players new and old with this board game realisation, even the most hardcore of fans!” Steamforged Games previously broke a number of Kickstarter records with their last game “Dark Souls: The Board Game” including the highest funded board game ever launched on the KS platform. Steamforged takes immense pride in taking amazing game worlds and lovingly crafting them into high quality board and card games…we specialise in understanding what makes each video game so compelling and then unlocking that experience in the physical game space.

Northstar Miniatures and Osprey Games will be launching their new Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago stand alone miniature game and official miniature range in October through an exciting pre-order filled with discounts and free miniatures!

In this thorough article you will be able to find the latest information about the upcoming Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago stand alone game by Northstar Miniatures and Osprey Games which will be launched in October. This new wargame will be mostly based on the rules of the original Frostgrave wargame but will feature other main characters and of course a whole different, more exotic setting! The new game will also receive an official miniature range supplied by Northstar Miniatures, already announced are plastic crew miniatures, metal Heritors and Wardens along with other Specialist Characters and Creatures.

From Nick, owner of Northstar Miniatures: Frostgrave Ghost Archipelago - This game is released in October 2017. We are going to run a Nickstarter in September for it. I'd recommend putting your spending money aside now, because it's going to be big. As well as the game, there are 2 other related products from Osprey, a plastic box set from us and a series of metal figures to represent the heroes and wizards. it's going to be good!!

Heritors and Wardens

The main characters in Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago - Fantasy Wargames in the Lost Isles are the powerful Heritors and their Warden sidekicks. These characters will replace the Wizard and Apprentice characters from the original Frostgrave Frozen City setting offering a new exciting direction in gameplay possibilities.

In the new wargame, set in the fantasy world of Frostgrave, players will take on the role of Heritors, mighty warriors whose ancestors drank from the Crystal Pool. While able of superhuman feats, Heritors have no longer the power and strength of their forefathers which drank from the Crystal Pool. Their powers have been watered down, as they were passed on from generation on generation.

And these superhuman abilities come at a cost, each time Heritors use their powers, they take damage. If they fail to use their desired feat, they suffer even more. The more they use their powers, the harder it comes to perform them again increasing the likeliness of suffering unbearable pain and damage. There will be thirty different Heritor abilities which will be used as when you were to cast a spell. So knowing when to use these powers will be very important in the gameplay as these actions can be decisive.

Author Joseph McCullough has recently shared some artwork previews of the Heritor characters and they all look splendid. Although everybody can be a Heritor, they have previewed the following heroes: a powerful pirate, mighty warrior womans, a stealthy rogue and a mind manipulator.

The sidekicks of the Heritors are the Wardens, these characters will supply your warband with magic. Although capable of performing and casting magic spells, these characters will not be as powerful as Wizards from the orginal setting and will only be able to cast a limited number of spells. The Wardens draw their powers from nature and the elements. The following classes have been announced along with some beautiful artwork: The Earth Warden, the Wind Warden, the Beast Warden, the Vine Warden and the Wave Warden.

The Ghost Archipelago

The new wargame setting for this new stand alone game is the mysterious Ghost Archipelago, a jungly island chain filled with deadly creature and warlike indigenous tribes. Sounds like a good moment to start stocking aquarium plants and paint some crumbling ruins!

The Ghost Archipelago is a vast island chain, covered in the ruins of ancient and otherworldly civilizations, the Archipelago appears every few centuries, far out in the southern ocean. It is only the bravest, however, who venture into the islands in search of the Crystal Pool, for they are filled with numerous deadly threats. Cannibal tribes, sorcerous serpent-men, and poisonous water-beasts all inhabit the island ruins, guarding their treasure hordes and setting traps for the unwary.

These are the Savage Tribesmen we painted for the book. They are from the North Star Africa range, the Ila tribe, with Jungle shields. The Ghost Archipelago is inhabited by dozens of tribes and races so plenty of choice also mentionned are Bronze Age Warriors.

The official introduction

The author Joseph McCullough shared the following introduction for Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago - Fantasy Wargames in the Lost Isles introducing the characters and the new setting. More information about the game can be found on the author's blog here

"Over two hundred years ago, the last time the Ghost Archipelago appeared, a group of adventurers discovered a pool of crystal clear water somewhere in the labyrinthine depths of the Lost Isles. Everyone who drank from that pool was filled with a mystical energy, a power they could call upon to perform superhuman feats. After these adventurers returned, they all became legends in their own time. Some became great heroes, others notorious villains. Ironically, despite their incredible strength, speed, toughness, and other superhuman abilities, nearly all of them eventually died violent deaths.

Before their deaths, however, most of the adventurers who drank from the Crystal Pool sired offspring. Their children inherited many of their parent’s abilities, as did their children’s children, and so on. These descendents became known as ‘Heritors’ for they had inherited some of the power of the Crystal Pool. Yet, with each passing generation, the abilities of the Heritors became slightly less, and every time they used their mystical abilities they suffered from a pain known as ‘Blood Burn’.

Today, most Heritors are nine or ten generations removed from their ancestor that drank from the Crystal Pool. While the abilities that they inherited still set them apart from the general population, those abilities have grown unreliable, and the pain that accompanies their usage quickly grows unbearable. Thus most Heritors use them sparingly and only in short bursts when they are required.

No one knows how many Heritors there are in the world, but the number is probably in the high hundreds if not the low thousands. A few are well known warriors, but most choose to keep their abilities hidden. Regardless of where they are, or how they choose to use their abilities, all of them felt a great tug when the Ghost Archipelago returned. The Crystal Pool calls to them, tempting them to come and drink from its waters and gain the powers that once belonged to their ancestors. Many have so far been able to resist this call, but many more are already making their way to the Southern Ocean."

The Team

The team involved in the design and creation of the new game consists out of the people who also worked on the original Frostgrave - Fantasy Wargames in the Frozen City wargame along with with some new faces.

The Osprey Games editor Phil Smith, the talented artist Dmitry Burmak, who provided all of the gorgeous artwork for the previous game, this time accompanied by his equally talented wife, Kate; Nick Eyre and the team from North Star Miniatures along with Osprey Games will be creating the miniatures, Kev Dallimore will be supplying his painting and photography skills, Stewart Larkin will be leading the layout and design work.

Wargames Illustrated Video

By Wargames Illustrated - At a recent Frostgrave Games Day held at WIHQ we were treated to a talk by Frostgrave's author Joe McCullough about his forthcoming new game set in the FG world 'Ghost Archipelago'. We didn't want our WIPrime members who weren't there to miss out, so here's what he had to say...

Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago: Tales of The Lost Isles

The Ghost Archipelago has returned. A vast island chain, covered in the ruins of ancient and otherworldly civilizations, the Archipelago appears every few centuries, far out in the southern ocean. At such times, pirates, adventurers, wizards, and legendary heroes all descend upon the islands in the hopes of finding lost treasures and powerful artefacts. A few, drawn by the blood of their ancestors, search for the fabled Crystal Pool, whose waters grant abilities far beyond those of normal men. It is only the bravest, however, who venture into the islands, for they are filled with numerous deadly threats. Cannibal tribes, sorcerous serpent-men, and poisonous water-beasts all inhabit the island ruins, guarding their treasure hordes and setting traps for the unwary. This book of fiction collects all-new stories set in the Ghost Archipelago.

Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago: Lost Colossus Expansion

The new Northstar Miniatures and Osprey Games Frostgrave - Ghost Archipelago stand alone game hasn't been released yet or the first expansion named Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago: Lost Colossus has already been sighted on Amazon to be released in March, 2018! Looks like another exciting episode in the fantasy ventures of Osprey Games and Northstar Miniatures' Frostgrave universe. This title will not be included in the upcoming pre-order campaign.

Series: Frostgrave Ghost Archipelago

Paperback: 64 pages

Publisher: Osprey Games; Reprint edition (March 20, 2018)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1472824121

ISBN-13: 978-1472824127

All artwork in this article is copyright Osprey Games and Osprey Publishing

Monday, August 14, 2017

Lucid Eye Publications released their Savage Core skirmish rules in which warring clans and heroes wage savage warfare in primitive lands. These rules are accompanied with a cool miniature range.

28mm pulp skirmish rules for battles beneath the surface of the Earth. A5 book pages - 5.8 x 8.3 (inches). 87 pages. full colour, tables, artwork and lore with charts and online support. For 2+ players, miniatures and dice not included. Savage Core is a fast play, competitive set of skirmish rules set in a primal land of savage warfare where clans battle for survival. Mature readers only, mature themes of primitive warfare.

Lucid Eye Publications are now selling the full range of Savage Core miniatures! Including any new releases, as well as miniatures and books for other Lucid products. Recently, this task has been handled by Warlord Games who have looked after the range expertly, and we thank them for this, Warlord have been a great help. We have currently secured presence at shows and conventions around the UK, (details of which will be announced in due course), as well as certain trade outlets both here and abroad. Of course, all of the products will be available direct from us also. Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have at the usual address and trade enquiries are welcome. We hope you will join us in our excitement at this evolutionary step and, as always, keep those Lucid Eyes peeled! The range is now available here.

Fantasy Flight Games: Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce Fallout, a post-nuclear adventure board game based on Bethesda’s blockbuster video game series.

In Fallout, one to four players take on a role within an irradiated landscape inspired by those in Fallout 3, Fallout 4, and their downloadable content expansions. With just a few locations pinpointed on their map, the players choose whether to work together or individually to explore these mysterious regions that lay before them. Along the way, each player will face a wealth of choices, deciding whether to pursue experience or Caps, collect loot or loyal companions, and progress the main quest line or veer off to the vaults. As the players move around the board, building their skills and filling their inventory, the area’s warring factions will gain power, forcing the players to pledge loyalty or defy conformity, all in pursuit of gaining the most influence of anyone else in the wasteland.

Ganesha Games: A very quick (and delighted, and rather more commercial than normal...) note to say that Palaeo Diet: Eat or be Eaten is available now as a pdf direct from Ganesha Games. A hard copy will be available in the coming weeks. Check them here

Palaeo Diet: Eat or be Eaten is a stand-alone set of gaming rules for recreating prehistoric animal hunts on your table top. The game models a time when humans were not yet in control of the world around them, when the landscape could just as easily give succour to a struggling tribe, as it could cripple a thriving people. Designed with solo and multiplayer games in mind, players take on the role of the hunting party while an integral response mechanism means that beasts react in different ways in different situations. In an unforgiving world, the choice is simple - either eat, or be eaten.

Sunday, August 13, 2017

Wargame News and Terrain has launched it's own Facebook Page! Check our daily wargame updates on Facebook and make to sure to like, follow and help to spread the latest miniature news with your mates! Check us - Wargame News and Terrain Facebook Page